‘Frances Bailey, Principal Associate and Naomi Shelton, Associate with Mills & Reeve LLP analyse the news and case law relating to financial remedies and divorce during February 2017.’
Family Law Week, 16th March 2017
Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk
‘Sharia councils say they offer Muslim women a way out of religious marriage but critics argue this parallel legal system can leave vulnerable people trapped in abuse. Here is a rare look behind the scenes.’
The Guardian, 1st March 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘There must be no religious arbitration in family matters. It leaves minority women vulnerable to control by fundamentalists.’
The Guardian, 14th December 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘One of the most extensive polls of British Muslims ever conducted suggests the appeal of sharia law is diminishing, especially among younger people.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 2nd December 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘A leading British Sharia Council intervened to prevent men accused of domestic violence from facing criminal charges, according to testimony submitted to a Commons Committee.’
The Independent, 31st October 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘British courts should be able to issue Islamic divorces via a specialised unit set up to protect the rights of Muslim women, a leading expert in sharia law will advise a House of Commons inquiry.’
The Guardian, 4th September 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘”Yasmeenah” is seeking an Islamic divorce from her husband and has turned to a Sharia council in the hope one will be granted by Islamic scholars.
This council at Birmingham Central Mosque is one of an estimated 30 established councils across the UK, often referred to as Sharia “courts”.
The BBC has been given rare access.’
BBC News, 11th July 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A former model has been awarded a £53m cash settlement in a high court divorce battle with her Saudi billionaire ex-husband.’
The Guardian, 8th July 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Individuals with experience of sharia law are being urged to take part in an independent review into its use.’
Home Office, 4th July 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
‘Solicitors who have experience of sharia law were today urged to take part in an independent review examining whether the religious code is being misused within Britain.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 4th July 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘An independent review into the application of Sharia Law in England and Wales has been launched by Home Secretary Theresa May today.’
Home Office, 26th May 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
‘On 23 March, Theresa May announced plans for a review of shariah councils in England and Wales, to examine their compatibility with British values, if the Conservatives win the May election. Shariah councils are bodies that issue divorce certificates for Islamic marriages, offer mediation and reconciliation services to couples married under religious law, and produce expert opinion reports on religious matters. An AHRC-funded research project concluded that the shariah council it studied (along with a Beth Din and a Catholic Tribunal) “provide[s] an important service for those Jews, Muslims and Catholics for whom a religious divorce ‘in the sight of God’ is important from both a spiritual and religious legal perspective”. The Home Office, while acknowledging the need for further evidence on the operation of shariah councils, appears concerned about the effect of their decisions on women (who, it suggests, may receive an insufficient financial settlement on a religious divorce) and the fairness of the procedures followed by shariah councils (particularly the possibility that their procedures discount women’s testimonies).’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 1st May 2015
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Peer warns widespread polygamy being ‘condoned’ as report claims many Muslim women trapped in legal limbo.’
Daily Telegraph, 10th December 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The Law Society did not consult any experts in Sharia law before issuing the controversial practice note on Sharia-compliant wills that it was forced to withdraw last month, it has emerged.’
Legal Futures, 8th December 2014
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Law Society has withdrawn guidance on how to prepare sharia-compliant wills following criticism from solicitors and the justice secretary, Chris Grayling. Recorded debates about the procedures have also been removed from the society’s website.’
The Guardian, 24th November 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The government has refused to be drawn into the row over controversial advice from the Law Society on Sharia-compliant wills, but insisted that it “does not, and cannot, change the law”.’
Legal Futures, 28th July 2014
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘From 1/8/1980 until his death on 19/11/2010, Mr Al-Faisal held a protected Rent Act tenancy of Flat 15, 1 Royal Avenue House, London, SW3. In 1987, Ms Al-Faisal married the Appellant, Ms Ouaha, in an Islamic marriage ceremony in London and the couple had two children in 1991 and 1994. Importantly for the purposes of this case, there was no civil ceremony.’
NearlyLegal, 1st June 2014
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Islamic law is to be effectively enshrined in the British legal system for the first time under guidelines for solicitors on drawing up “Sharia compliant” wills.’
The Independent, 23rd March 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“Sharia courts are putting women at risk of violence from abusive husbands, the Crown Prosecution Service has warned.”
Daily Telegraph, 7th April 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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